Healthy Touch

When most people get headaches, they run to their medicine cabinets and take their pick from a plethora of over-the-counter painkillers. But if you ask Steve Liu, none of this is necessary. Liu recommends acupressure, an ancient Chinese form of healing in which you apply pressure to certain parts of the body to relieve pain and advance your health. Liu, a licensed acupuncturist and co-founder of HanLing Acupuncture Healing Center, will give a lecture about the ways in which anyone can practice self-healing.

Acupressure, not to be confused with acupuncture, supposedly helps rid the body of headaches, leg cramps, indigestion, nausea, stress and tension.

Liu will begin the lecture by providing a brief history behind the practice, and then give hands-on techniques on how to locate acupressure points and relieve pain and stress without the help of a doctor. Included in the lecture will be methods of using acupressure to maintain everyday general health. Finally, Liu will give illustrative handouts of acupressure techniques so listeners can use the same methods at home.

Liu frequently gives private lectures about healthy heart care and the benefits of tofu and Chinese tea, says his educational coordinator, Jan Elster. This time, he wanted to not only target seniors, but also open his lecture to the public.

Liu completed an apprenticeship with his 83-year-old mother, Dr. Grace Liu, who was a physician in China for several years and still practices today in a northside clinic.

Liu's timing for the lecture coincides with the recent Chinese New Year celebration. Registration is required for the event, and you can do so by calling Jan Elster at 529-1916. The cost is $2 for nonmembers of the community center, and it's free for members. --A.L.

Scottish Secret

As a young boy raised on a Scottish countryside, Dougie MacLean quickly became accustomed to music, because his mother played the mandolin, and his father played the fiddle. He began singing and playing those instruments in the band the Tannahill Weavers and launched a 25-year career that would gain him international recognition.

Tucson will be one of several stops on his North American tour, which according to his booking agent, Amy Nesbitt, only happens once every three to four years.

MacLean plays the guitar in his performances and, according to his Web site, incorporates a "unique blend of lyrical, 'roots based' songwriting and instrumental composition." In his performances, MacLean likes to talk about his Scottish roots, spanning from the land to his relationship with his father.

"He has a way of tapping into some family emotional issues," Nesbitt says.

MacLean makes it a point to interact with his audience by telling stories, teaching them song lyrics and sometimes hanging out with them after his shows at local bars. "The audience is not just a passive receptor," Nesbitt says. "They are involved."

Deemed by a press release as "Scotland's best-kept secret," MacLean has a chance to have his song "Caledonia" become Scotland's national anthem. In February, a special reception in Buckingham Palace recognized his contributions to the United Kingdom music industry. Also recognized were Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Oasis, to name a few.

Nesbitt says the show will be warmly inviting and leave people "feeling like they have been in his living room," Nesbitt says. Advanced tickets cost $23 and are recommended. Tickets are the door will be $27. --A.L.

Good Enough to Eat

Ingredients for Cookin'--a successful off-Broadway show--are as follows: comedy, martial arts, drumming, dance and two odd additions of kitchen utensils and wayward vegetables. The cast of Cookin' doesn't drum in the traditional style. "They make noise matters with knives, vegetables and cooking utensils," says Will Seberger of UApresents.

Cookin', first performed in Korea in 1997, is the longest-running show in the history of Korean performing arts, with more than 1 million viewers. Now the show is entertaining audiences in Europe, Asia and North America.

The show takes Korean music called Samulnori, translated to "playing with four instruments," and applies its rhythm to a fast-paced kitchen percussion show. Samulnori traditionally uses an hour-glass shaped drum, a barrel drum, small gong and large gong. But the four chefs of Cookin' replace those instruments with knives, cutting boards, pots, pans, chopsticks and woks. Plenty of vegetables are added to the mix, such as cucumbers, cabbage, carrots and onions as the chefs race against the clock to create a wedding banquet.

The comedic stew has gotten rave reviews from major newspapers, magazines and news programs. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cookin' is "a hilarious, high-energy smorgasbord of sight and sound." Variety raves, "Cookin's mighty rumble shakes the house and delights the audience!" And Good Morning America says the show "serves up seven courses of pure entertainment."

Tickets for the show range from $20 to $46. Student and child prices are also available. Get tickets by phone at 621-3341, at the UApresents box office or online at uapresents.org. --I.M.

War, What Is It Good For?

Private Giles died on Feb. 26 in a far-away place called Abertha, Iraq. He was only 19.

He won't see the rolling hills of his hometown in western Pennsylvania again. Won't celebrate his 21st birthday with a legal beer. Won't see his mom again.

The details of this soldier's death can be found on the Web at the U.S. Department of Defense site. There are pages and pages of press releases announcing deaths. Their stories are all too common. And they continue in this third year of U.S. occupation in Iraq.

To mark the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and deaths such as Giles', Paris Moves--an eight-member spoken-word performance troupe--will devote its next performance to anti-war themes. According to member Albert Lannon, the group came together late last year. "We represent the street poets of Tucson," he says.

Among the pieces to be performed is Mark Twain's "The War Prayer." The performance will offer "video, spoken word, sound and often surprises," says Lannon. "We cram a lot into two hours. Some amazing things happen."

Paris Moves is comprised of members who have performed in poetry slams together. They are: The FunKtional Adix, Ataraxia, Dov Diamond, Austin Publicover, David Mitchell, Doctor E, Kaitlin Meadows and Lannon. Special guests often perform.

According to Lannon, The FunKtional Adix (a stage name) has performed his interactive video piece, "Weapons of Mass Deception" throughout Arizona and on television. Both Lannon and Dr. E were arrested for civil disobedience at the Federal Building on the day the war began.

Paris Moves performs at The Screening Room the last Thursday of each month. Admission is $5. --I.M.